Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



A. B. BLY an 00.01.01. -BREECH LOADING PIRBARM.

No. 105,058. Patented July-'5, 1870.

tin-iwi time @dimi (lidiijiitb ALFRED B. ELY, OF NEWTON, AND EDWARD C. CLAY, OF MALDEN, MASSA- GHUSETTS; SAID EDWARD C. CLAY ASSIGNOR TO ALFRED B. ELY.

Letters Patent N 105,058, dated J'uly 5, 1870; a-ntedated January 5, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING- FIRE-ARMS.

. The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

for improvements in breech-loading tire-arms, in.

which a solid plug, so called, was inserted in an enlarged cavity of the barrel, at thc rear end thereof, said plug being hinged, at its forward end, to the upper side of the barrel, so as to turn over upon the barrel when opera-and' being locked in place by a bolt inserted in its rear' end when closed.

This invention is mainly intended to be applied to l the'barrel of a fire-arm in connection with a solid plug or solid swinging breech-block.

1t is somewhat inconvenient and expensive to remove the breech-'pin of a gun-barrel .and enlarge the rear part of its cavity, as well as to adapt to the cavity so in and belonging to the barrel, the adj unc,

tive parts necessary for the proper action of a solid plug or movable breech-block. Y Besides this, it not unfrequently happens that the rear part of a barrel becomes marred, split, or-broken, so that it cannot be used, and the conversion cannot take place.

A principal object of this invention is to obviate these diculties by cutting o the barrel and prepare' ing and fitting to it'what may he called a receiver or housing for containing 'the enlarged cavity or bore and receiving the solid plug or movable breech-block, with their accessories.

In the sectional drawings- A represents-the barrel of a fire-arm cut .off at right angles to its bore a at a: x.

B represents the receiver, which may be likened to the rear part` of another lire-arm barrel of a larger caliber or bore that that of A, into the forward end of which the rear end of A is screwed, o r otherwise secured at B. In this case the bore of B is as much larger than that of Aas the angevof'- a metallic cartridge is larger than its body.

The upper part of the receiver-barrel is out o ou the lines e' h It' c, and to the shell-j thus formed is fitted a solid plug, O, of the size of the cavity of the receiver, and the whole is hinged, at its-forward end,

vto the upperside of the barrel at c, the plug, when thrown up and over, being represented by red lines.

Thereceiver may be made, in thc first instance, open at the top, for the reception of the'plug, and the plug C', with its cap j, ma'y be made in one piece.

The recoil-plate or front part of the rear end of the receiver and. the rear end of the plug are slanted, as at z z.

F'represents the tang, and

G, a tiring-pin or vent passing through the plug.

In the rear end of the block C is a cavity or bolthole, D, for receiving a locking-bolt, E, which passes through the breech or recoil-plate of the receiver, and is pressed forward into the bolt-hole D by a spring, e.

d is a small arm of a lever, hanging in front of thc bolt E, in the bolt-hole I), upon and attached to a rod, which passes through it to the outside of the block, aud to which is attached the other arm'of the lever or thumb-piece g.

When the lug or -block is down and the cavity of the receiver c osed, the bolt E enters the bolt-hole D 'and locks t-he plug in place.

When the arm or thumb-piece -g is` turned or pressed upward, the arm d turns also, and presses back the bolt E, and dseugages it `from the plug, while the coutinuousfpressure of the thumb against g throws the plug up and over and opens the cavity of the receiver.

This being done, the cartridge O o is inserted and the block 'shut down and bolted, the front end of the plug pressing against the rear end of the cartridge.

'The method of locking is similar to that of Preston, but the method of unlocking is dierent.

Instead of the locking-bolt being contained in and passng.-tbrongh the recoil-plate and locking into a recess i-ri--the plug, the recess may be in the recoilplate, and the locking-bolt be contained in the breechplug, the saine being tted with a spring to throw it backward, and a lever with a thumb-piece to throw it forward out of the notch and to throw up the breech-y plug, (see the smaller ligure of drawings.)

Such ejecting devices may be applied for ejecting the empty cartridge-case as are in familiar use.

Having thus described our invention,

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

' 1. The receiver, constructed and arranged substantially in the manner described, in combination with the'sold plug or breech-block arranged and operating within the receiver,'substantially as set forth.

2. The combination' above claimed, in connection with the barrel of a gun, substantially as described.

3. The plug G, spring-bolt E, and leverl d g, in combination, when constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof we have'hereunto subscribed our names.

ALFRED B. ELY. EDW. C. CLAY. Witnesses for ELY:

W. W. PARKER, EDMUND DURGIN. Witnesses for CLAY: W. M. PARKER, EDWARD O. Moses. 

